Yes, you have read this correctly; "Jessica Takes on a Training Plan!" Being a seasoned half-marathon distance racer, and progressively getting faster finish times, is a great thing, and I am thankful that has been the case with my racing career. However, having never followed a set training plan, or even guidelines, for preparing for races, I know I can get super-better with the help of the first-ever training plan I am going to follow! I selected the 13.1 Ultimate guide.Today was the first day I logged a training run using the "Run the Edge" training plan. Being a huge fan of Kara Goucher, I knew the Run the Edge training plan would be the right fit for me. Why? Well, because it follows a non-traditional way to get better. Most importantly, it's fun. Second, people I highly respect created it. And third, it allows you to train by time, not distance. Why do I appreciate that so much? Because it is SO much nicer to hear that you need to crank out a 35 minute easy run than see a 5 miler on the page. Knowing your assignment is to run for 35 minutes is a better (and more manageable) challenge, as you can run your run for the time specified, and see how well you pulled it off. I'll report on my progress, but I highly encourage anyone looking for a training plan to at least check out the Run the Edge plan. I'm a huge fan of the method they use to get us trained and ready for the ultimate finish!